Every hour of every day in America someone dies of oral cancer. Oral cancer is the sixth most common diagnosed form of cancer in the United States. Presently 30,000 patients are diagnosed annually with oral cancer. The 5-year survival rate is only 50%, accounting for 8,000 deaths each year. Oral cancer risk factors include tobacco use, frequent and/or excessive alcohol consumption, a compromised immune system, past history of cancer, and the presence of the HPV virus.

Recently however 25% of all newly diagnosed cases have been in patients under the age of forty with none of the known risk factors. Oral cancer is one of the few cancers whose survival rate has not improved in the past 50 years. This is due primarily to the fact that during this time we have not changed the way we screen for this disease (a visual and manual examination of the oral cavity, head, and neck). The cancers which have seen a major decline in the mortality rate have included colon, cervical, and prostate cancer and the primary reason is early detection and screening.

In response to the limitations of traditional oral mucosa examinations, ORA Dental Studio was one of the first dental practices in Chicago to implement the VELscope oral cancer early detection system. We use the VELscope not only at your new patient visit but also at every 6 month re-care visit as part of your comprehensive oral examination. This gives both doctor and patient the piece of mind that potential areas of concern are diagnosed early and treated in a minimally invasive way.